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The hammer, anvil and the stirrup are the auditory bones and are among the smallest bones in humans. Both the stapes and the other cubes are very delicate, which makes them hard to find, but contrary to appearances, these small elements can tell a lot about a given person. Interestingly, the hammer, anvil and stirrup are the only bones in the human body that already acquire their shape in a newborn, which does not change over the years. The ossicles are primarily responsible for conducting sounds to the inner ear. The bones themselves are located in the middle ear, their total length is only 1 cm. They are connected sequentially, starting with a hammer, which connects to the anvil, which in turn holds the stapes.
Stirrup – what is it?
Stirrup (from Latin stapes) is the smallest element among the ossicles, it is only 3 mm long. Stirrup is divided into three parts, they are: head strzemiączka, nasal limb and caudal limb. All of this forms the basis strzemiączkawhich closes the opening – the atrium window. It is these elements that connect the middle ear to the outer ear. Research shows that stirrup it first appeared in amphibians thanks to the transformation of the gill arch. Stirrup it also appeared on the way of evolution in birds and mammals, where it took the shape of a stirrup, hence its name. In treatment, i.e. otosurgery, stirrup we divide into suprastructure strzemiączka (it includes the head and legs) and infrastructure strzemiączka, that is, the base – the plate strzemiączka. Stirrup responsible for transmitting vibrations caused by the eardrum to the inner ear.
Stomach muscle – the smallest muscle in the human body
Stapes muscle belongs to the striped muscles of man and is considered the smallest muscle in the human body. Due to its structure, it is capable of reflex response to acoustic stimulation. Stapes muscle it is connected to itself stirrupthanks to which it has the ability to pulse around the neck strzemiączka towards the tendon stapes. The whole process stiffens both the anvil and the hammer, and also changes the peri-lymph pressure in the inner ear. Stapes muscle It primarily has a protective function, which is to prevent damage to hearing caused by noise. Moreover, work the stapes muscle illustrates the interaction of the center in the brainstem, binaural interaction also plays an important role in controlling the direction of sound.
Hammer, anvil, stirrup – damage to the ossicles
Impact on damage to the hammer, anvil or strzemiączka they primarily have inflammation, and this in turn leads to damage to their structures. The result of damage to the auditory ossicles is primarily hearing loss, which is technically known as conductive hearing loss. A similar effect also occurs when stirrup becomes immobilized, which leads to complications in the process of sound conduction. This disease is called otosclerosis and is also classified as middle ear ossicular disease. It occurs most often in young women and is inherited in the family. Otosclerosis may also be accompanied by dizziness and tinnitus. It is worth adding that regardless of the cause of the damage, the hammer, anvil or strzemiączka, any defect requires surgical treatment. The aim of each procedure is to restore the appropriate structures of the auditory ankle chain and to fight hearing loss. The treatment may also be accompanied by ankle plastic surgery, in other words ossiculoplasty. This process belongs to heavy surgical procedures, it is aimed at reconstruction of the hammer, anvil and strzemiączka.